This application relates to technology for non-volatile data storage. In particular, this application relates to content addressable memory (CAM) cells and memory arrays that include vertical transistors.
Semiconductor memory is widely used in various electronic devices such as mobile computing devices, mobile phones, solid-state drives, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, medical electronics, servers, and non-mobile computing devices. Semiconductor memory may include non-volatile memory or volatile memory. A non-volatile memory device allows information to be stored or retained even when the non-volatile memory device is not connected to a source of power (e.g., a battery).
Examples of non-volatile memory include flash memory (e.g., NAND-type and NOR-type flash memory), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), ferroelectric memory (e.g., FeRAM), magnetoresistive memory (e.g., MRAM), phase change memory (e.g., PRAM), and reversible resistivity-switching memory (ReRAM). In recent years, non-volatile memory devices have been scaled to reduce the cost per bit. However, as process geometries shrink, many design and process challenges are presented.